The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

elaine241

I managed to scrump loads of apples, mainly cooking, form my sisters new house. She has four big apples trees and may make the odd crumble! I came back with two huge bags full and I will make sure I don't waste any at all. I also picked a load of field mushrooms and these are in the drier as I didn't have time to eat them today. 
I am feeling much better ( fingers crossed) although I will know how I feel tomorrow which is two days after my last antibiotic. Today I did a fun ride on my horse, ten miles and numerous jumps, it felt so good to be out in the fresh air and have the energy to actually do something. I will no doubt be stiff in the morning!!
My kitchen is full with buckets and bowls of produce, apples, french beans, kale, tomatoes, onions, shallots, mushrooms, I will really need to get my finger out and process all of them before I go and pick more!
Tonight I sampled my rhubarb/strawberry vodka, its a little sweet for my liking so I may add extra vodka to dilute the sweetness. Walking round the fields I spotted some ripe elderberry bushes so wine or jelly maybe in order as well. It takes so long to actually pick and preserve/process all this food!! I really noticed the difference in my supermarket trolley the other day, the only veg/fruit I bought were bananas!! Tonight peas, kale and potatoes were all home grown. I find I am using home grown vegetables or fruit every day at the moment and I am keeping a record of what I use and what I freeze or preserve. It will be interesting to count back and see how many kilos of food I actually have produced.

ivyleaf

So glad you're feeling better Elaine 

Thriftygifty

The storm the other day knocked down our row of runner beans it was a domino, DH managed to stand most up again but some have snapped.  We now have 4 pumpkins, a small handful of small tomatoes each day and kale is doing amazing.  Courgettes however have been eaten by something that left teeth marks!!!  I'm thinking possibly rats, i'm now concerned about the pumpkins, not from a food point of view more from I will have 2 very upset children if they don't make it to Halloween, oh the pressure!  This weekend I have seen more people in 2 days than I have in the last 5 months, and I didn't particularity like it and shall be retreating back into our bubble.  I had to go to 4 different stores to return various school uniform etc for DS, I went first thing Saturday and actually felt relatively safe, I was impressed with Boots, mask, visor and screen with lots of floor markings, Next again pretty good, clear one way system staff in visors and screen, M&S not so much,  I didn't like that the staff didn't have masks on, no clear floor markings or distancing, I guess as they have clothing everywhere rather than in rows, I know it's not compulsory but surly as a company it would make sense to implement measures that made your customers feel safe?  Maybe it's just me? Then onto Asda was in and out within 5 mins, their clothing return was pretty good you fill in online what you are returning, package it up, drop it to customer service, they scan it and give you a receipt, nice and quick however realised I was standing to close to staff member for my liking with no mask or screen, also previously to this my mask in the car ended up riding up and going onto my eyes.  I'm not quite ready to do that again, I will be sticking to online stores with free returns.  I've also been clearing out the loft and selling it online (I hate selling online) my theory is we should be making hay whilst the sun shines, even though DH is back at work, we cant take it for granted just yet, I also sold an expensive Christmas gift that I had bought for the baby he will be none the wiser.  

Si_Clist

Thriftygifty said:

... kale is doing amazing. 

That reminds me - one of the FSA alerts that came in last week amounted to "don't eat these bags of shop kale unless you like thistles mixed in with yours" ...

Greenglockenspiel

Our pumpkins have gone completely mental, they are mid-thigh high and escaping the patch in all directions - even pushed through the fence to the next plot over! We have got patty pan squash and and courgettes ready each time we go to the allotment and the borlotti beans are producing really well too - much better than the cannellini beans next to them for some reason. I even have a few tiny edamame beans which I’m impressed by because I didn’t think they would like being outside! Now planning where to put onions, spring onions, broad beans, more lettuces and perpetual spinach for autumn/winter crops. I put in brassicas and leeks for overwintering a while back.
Spotted lots of sloes on a walk at the weekend so will be returning to that spot with a bag next weekend to make sloe gin which is my favourite 😋

3secondmemory

Greenglockenspiel said:

Our pumpkins have gone completely mental, they are mid-thigh high and escaping the patch in all directions - even pushed through the fence to the next plot over! We have got patty pan squash and and courgettes ready each time we go to the allotment and the borlotti beans are producing really well too - much better than the cannellini beans next to them for some reason. I even have a few tiny edamame beans which I’m impressed by because I didn’t think they would like being outside! Now planning where to put onions, spring onions, broad beans, more lettuces and perpetual spinach for autumn/winter crops. I put in brassicas and leeks for overwintering a while back.
Spotted lots of sloes on a walk at the weekend so will be returning to that spot with a bag next weekend to make sloe gin which is my favourite 😋

Housekeeping had a lovely recipe for fudge made with boozy sloes - waste not, want not 😃

Si_Clist

Greenglockenspiel said:

... Spotted lots of sloes on a walk at the weekend ...

I'm envious.  I got back from this year's reconnaisance mission an hour ago, having established that they're about a fortnight early this year but alas there's precious few of them  

Looks like this year's just turned out to be a bad 'un for plums, damsons and sloes in this neck of the woods, although the blackberries actually ended up being more plentiful than we anticipated.  Can't we just get back to proper weather at the proper time of year so the trees and the bushes know what to do ... ?

rachsecret

Si_Clist said:

Looks like this year's just turned out to be a bad 'un for plums, damsons and sloes in this neck of the woods, although the blackberries actually ended up being more plentiful than we anticipated.  Can't we just get back to proper weather at the proper time of year so the trees and the bushes know what to do ... ?

Totally agree! Been for a walk today to one of my usual sloe spots and there were only two berries amongst several trees. Will try my other spot late in the week.

 Blackberries however, have been prolific; done several crumbles, cakes, blackberry gin and frozen some too. Still loads ripening daily and they're HUGE!

Wraithlady

Si_Clist said:

Looks like this year's just turned out to be a bad 'un for plums, damsons and sloes in this neck of the woods,

Up here in the Northwest, our damson tree and blackthorn tree are promising a large harvest this year - the last couple of years they had that pocket plum disease which meant the harvest of viable fruits was a couple of handfuls if you were lucky. 

daz378

Apparently saw something on twitter...leaked from  that bastion of jounalistic integrity  the sunny🙄  saying the government have wargamed  the various scenarios from Jan onwards   bad brexit 2nd wave, bad flu season,  could see power cuts, water rationing,  or could be as mild as slightly higher food prices....who knows...keep prepping